Spruce up your bike-sorting scratches and more

Header pipes

» Using an acid is the quickest way to get rid of header pipe discolouration. Some people swear by Harpic 10x, a toilet cleaner containing hydrochloric acid. It’s risky though because it’s strong and sticky. Coke rubbed in with tin foil is a safer bet. Or buy some Drdownpipe. In all cases, rinse well.

Paintwork

» For light scratches (ie you can’t see them when the surface is wet), T-cut should do the job. For deeper ones (above), work your way down from 400-grit wet and dry through to 7000, and then polish. Gouges can be made less obvious by applying a tiny amount of clear nail varnish with a cocktail stick.

Black plastics

» There are all manner of products available to get black plastic covers and switchgear looking perky (eg, Back to Black, Black in a Flash, Original Black). But they’re all pretty much the same thing: silicone spray, which you can buy for half the price. Or use a rag soaked in olive oil.

Your mitts

» After an afternoon of sprucing your hands will probably be filthy. Using disposable surgical latex gloves prevents the problem in the first place, but if you forgot, clean your hands with washing up liquid mixed with sugar. It’s almost as good as Swarfega, though rather more unfriendly to your skin.